Should Brewers Add Craig Yoho Or Jacob Misiorowski to Bullpen in September?

[Jake McKibbin]

Jacob Misiorowski and Craig Yoho were both promoted to Triple-A recently, and with both currently in bullpen roles, it may be a fight between them for that extra pitching roster spot in September. Who should get the call?

Image courtesy of © Curt Hogg / USA TODAY NETWORK, Biloxi Shuckers

Craig Yoho was a $10,000 signing in the 2023 Draft who was completely unheralded before this season. Jacob Misiorowski has been about as high on helium as they come. Misiorowski dominates behind a remarkable fastball, while Yoho uses good command and boomerang-like movement to get a similar level of swing-and-miss. They are almost polar opposites in terms of their profiles, but they’re both genuine difference-makers. Adding either to the bullpen would be a bonus in September, but with limited 40-man roster spots available and only one expanded roster spot for a pitcher, there’s a very real possibility only one of them gets the call.

How Have They Each Performed Early On At Triple-A Nashville?
Let’s start with Misiorowski. He had an average perceived velocity of 100 mph on the fastball in his most recent appearance, an incredible number. His gigantic extension from that 6-foot-6 frame (combined with wicked arm speed) means the fastball is deadly, or at least it should be. It has shown a slightly inconsistent shape in terms of the ride he’s generating, and has just a 5.6% swinging strike rate. He has limited hard contact, with an average exit velocity of just 67 mph, but where Triple-A hitters make poor contact, a big-league hitter will often do damage, so that’s a prospective concern.

The ABS system has challenged his control a bit and narrowed the strike zone. The word is out there about how to approach him. Hitters are swinging just 37% of the time on his heater, in part due to the uncomfortable nature of the at-bat and its velocity, but also in an attempt to wait him out.

The good news is that he adapted in his last appearance, pouring it into the zone for called strikes and using the curveball, which has been electric, to put them away. His breaking pitch has a 33.3% swinging strike rate, and has been devastating when he’s commanded it. There have been a number of uncompetitive offerings which have inflated his pitch counts, but it should improve as he adjusts to the level.

Meanwhile, Craig Yoho has continued to make hitters look completely and utterly overmatched with basically every pitch in his arsenal. He’s thrown ten sliders, seven for strikes, with three swings and no one even making contact yet. The sinker has been used to right-handed batters a lot, and he pummels the strike zone with it. Vicious arm-side movement has him backdooring the pitch for called strikes and presents an alternative, velocity-wise, to the changeup. 

Speaking of, that changeup has been about as filthy as they come. I could give you the statistical numbers, or just show you some of the swings he’s been generating:

 

The sheer two plane movement could make it instantly one of the nastiest pitches in baseball, and you can see why he has a 0.67 FIP on the year across the upper levels of the minors. In terms of how he generates the swing-and-miss without that high-end velocity and combined with a 66% ground ball rate this season, he’s essentially an ideal reliever--a “swing-and-miss merchant” who avoids the long ball. He has three pitches that move in dizzying ways, in a variety of directions and speeds that confounds hitters. No one in the minors has yet found an answer.

For both pitchers, their Triple-A sample is small, but there are definitely things we can glean from them. Misiorowski has lost some of the fastball IVB he had with the ball in Double-A, but he’s avoiding hard contact on it and getting some elite swing-and-miss on his breaker. Yoho is, well, the same Craig Yoho we’ve seen at every other level of the minor leagues. We shouldn't make too many early judgments based on this small dataset. However, it should play a part in the decision made at the end of it all.

What Type Of Reliever Do The Brewers Need?
This is a large part of the decision. Coming out of the bullpen, Misiorowski has been working as a multi-inning reliever, whereas Yoho has been kept as a single-inning arm. When you look at how the Brewers roster is currently constructed, and when you take into account Pat Murphy’s quotes about DL Hall after Sunday’s game:

They have a six-man rotation right now, to deal with a 14-day stretch without an off day, but Hall is likely to move into a multi-inning role himself (alongside Bryse Wilson and Joe Ross) at some point. That’s three multi-inning men, and whether the Brewers want to add a fourth to that mix would be questionable, barring injury or poor form from any of the three. That’s without taking into account how Bryan Hudson has been deployed this year as a multi-inning arm.

With a five-man rotation, you would have nine arms available out of the bullpen in September. With the injured list expected to be considerably shorter by that point with the returns of Hudson and Trevor Megill, that would leave four multi-inning relief options and five single-inning arms, including Megill, Devin Williams, and Joel Payamps. It seems much, much easier for the Brewers to find space for a single-inning relief role than yet another multi-inning, stretched-out arm.

That would appear to give Yoho the leg up in some respects. Misiorowski could be dialed down to that role, as well, and definitely has the stuff to thrive in it, but it’s not how the Brewers seem to be deploying them as it currently stands.

What About Long-Term Plans?
As referenced earlier, the Brewers have said about the pitch count for Jacob Misiorowski. He was shut down last year after a promotion to Double-A, with arm fatigue (never a great sign). They’ve been careful again with his ramp-up this season. They are comfortable with him getting those innings at either Triple-A or in the Show, but if they’re serious about being cautious on the workload, then having Yoho around may allow them to retain that caution while still adding an elite bullpen arm for the playoff push.

The other thing is that, eventually, the Brewers still seem keen on Misiorowski as a starter. He’s not quite gotten a hold of his command of his fastball or his third pitch to the point that you’d feel comfortable with him starting in the majors next year. He still has development and growth to go before he’s ready for that stage, and (unfortunate as it is that it’s a consideration) starting his service-time clock when you know he likely won’t be ready to start games until at least halfway through next season would be wasting a year of control.

That’s something that can be justified if he was the sole big, internal upgrade possibility for September, but Yoho’s presence does negate that somewhat. While Misiorowski has some development ahead of him, Yoho is ready to get big-league outs in high-leverage spots right now and over the next few years. He has far less to learn from the minor leagues, and as such, he should be the preferred option for the promotion.

One more point of observation is the adjustment factor at each stage of promotion. Yoho has been promoted from High-A Wisconsin to Triple-A, and his numbers in terms of swing-and-miss, strike rate, and so on haven't changed at all at each step:

Contrast that to Misiorowski, who at every step has required an adjustment period due to a mandate for better command. Yoho seems like a safer candidate. The Brewers, if they bring them up in September, will have one month before the playoffs where they have to perform down the stretch and into October. It's a not a time where they can afford to let someone adjust to the level over a longer period, and so far in their minor-league careers, Yoho has demonstrated himself to be significantly better in this regard.

So What Direction Should They Go?
The Brewers still may attempt to include both on their September roster, but with an already packed bullpen that should be getting natural reinforcements from injury returnees, there is no obligation for them to do so. The smart path long-term may be to keep Misiorowski in Nashville, adjusting to that caliber of hitter and working out how he can fill up that zone, but it’s a difficult decision; he may be an elite arm coming from the bullpen in the playoffs.

It’s hard to argue that Misiorowski wouldn’t be an upgrade on a Hoby Milner or Elvis Peguero, but with an in-form Payamps alongside a rejuvenated Hudson, Megill, Williams, Enoli Paredes and Jared Koenig, who have all been excellent this year, that choice becomes a little bit more difficult.

At this point, Yoho makes the most sense for the Brewers, both in the short term and in the long term, given how ready he looks for the major-league level and how little development he has left combined with the need for a shorter-stint reliever and Misiorowski's path to the big leagues as a starter.

What do you think of the Brewers' potential dilemma for the expanded rosters? Can you see them preferring one of Yoho or Misiorowski? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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[ClosetBrewerFan]

I think the call on Misio is a lot easier than Yoho.  Mis is only 22 and does not need to be added to the 40 man until after the 2025 season. He clearly has more work to do in the minors.  He could succeed in the majors now but I think its likelier that his lack of control will hurt him.

Yoho will be 25 in a couple of months and has absolutely dominated the minors.  Hard to see what he needs to work on other than keep doing what he is doing to show that he can get out upper level hitters.  The likelihood that he performs well at the majors is much better odds than Misio. I don't think it is even close comparing the two.  

However, Yoho does not need to be added to the 40 man until after the 2026 season. The Brewers also have a wealth of relievers with more coming off the IL now.  Who goes to make room for Yoho? There is a good chance Yoho could be really good, but there is no guarantee and to make room for him will reduce the depth we have. I'd like to see what Yoho does through August.  Would I take Yoho over Ross (DFA) or Peguero (Option)?  Probably.  Enoli Paredes will be available to come the IL beginning in Sept or Rob Z even earlier.  Not sure I would DFA one of them (who are out of options) to make room for Yoho.

[wallus]

I advocated for the Brewers to trade a little bullpen depth at the deadline. They decided to keep everyone and are having roster issues even without considering these two. I would say 2025 is when we will see them both in the majors.

[wiguy94]

They both should be up in September. Not an either or situation 

[Jim French Stepstool]

Yoho is the 'safer' bet right now & appears about as ready as you could be. Miz most recently had an outing for N'ville that not only screams "ready" but "ready to dominate", but we've seen flashes before. If he's taken the next step where the command becomes a more-often-than-not thing over the next couple weeks, then make the decisions you've avoided most of the season in the name of depth, and add both.

[jay87shot]

1 hour ago, wiguy94 said:

They both should be up in September. Not an either or situation 

I agree, if we are serious about making a playoff run a big part will be on the bullpen. Both of these guys have an unhittable vibe. I would rather have them than Hoby. Civale, Montas, Ross, even Bryce Wilson. If only one go with Yoho because of the accuracy. Dont forget about Carlos Rodriguez, he probably isn't a reliever option but could deserve a start or two down the stretch. That is if Hall isn't it and we still don't give Chad Patrick a look.

[Outlander]

Not feeling real confident with Peguero and Mears as right handed options during the playoffs. Yoho could be a significant upgrade, they really need to see what he can do at the big league level by September. 

[Brian]

I think it is Yoho's turn, even though as said above it would be much easier for Miso to be called up. 

Yoho would get my vote this time. 

[StearnsFTW]

I would call up Yoho today.  Probably for Peguero.

I'd probably call Misiorowski before then as well just to make him eligibile for post season.

[brewmann04]

Yoho will he be needed to be added to the 40?

but Jacob for sure add him with Hall in the Pen the playoffs will be set 

[LouisEly]

Neither, unless it is an emergency due to injuries.  Neither need to be added to the 40-man this offseason, thus adding them both creates a bigger roster crunch AND, if they don't make the team out of spring training next season, they will need to use one of their option years.

And, while I love the long-term upside of both, rookies usually don't set the world on fire right from the get-go.  I would expect some adjustment period to major league hitting needed for each, and thus, for this year's playoffs I would not expect either to be significantly better than who they already have.

[Brewer77]

I think Yoho is ready for the call at any point in time

Do they trust Misiorowski’s command enough at this point in time to give him important big league innings? If not, then I don’t see much benefit to starting his clock

[wiguy94]

I also think it's worth pointing out that despite Hudson being rejuvenated and off the IL, he looked like the same guy last night that was getting smashed before he went on the IL. Velo was still down. Didn't have feel for his sweeper. Without getting his sweeper back to early season levels, I don't think he's a guarantee to be on the MLB roster during the September run. He just will not be able to punch out hitters without the sweeper.

[biedergb]

I am a big fan of Yoho. But he has exactly 1 year of professional pitching, and I love his talent, but that is a big jump to MLB hitters in playoffs. I am for trying to get him moving up, but we have very talented pitchers (Peguero, Megill, Payamps, Hudson, Koenig, D. Wililams) who would also make AA/AAA hitters look foolish.

And Miz - if he is going to be a reliever long term, then sure. But if we want him to be a starter I would let him keep getting reps in the minors. But just my humble opinions. And that is what is great - we can all have different takes on these situations.

[Brewcrew82]

Honestly, I would call them both up and sooner rather than later. 

Yoho isn't being challenged at all in the minors. He's ready for the show and probably ready to dominate. Might as well start getting ready for life without Devin of which he will be a key part. 

As for Mis, they look committed at this point to pitching him out of the bullpen for the remainder of the season to limit his innings. He's mowed down AAA hitters his last two appearances and hasn't issued any free passes. If he keeps that up over the rest of the month, I think you absolutely have to give him the call. Yes, he doesn't have to be added to the 40 man until next offseason, but let's be honest: do you really think he won't already force himself onto the 40 man before then?

Bottom line is we're going to need arms who are capable of getting outs in the postseason. We're almost certainly not going to get as many out of our rotation as in past years, which means more are going to have to come from the bullpen. With Hudson, Koenig, etc. experiencing declining results as a consequence of heavy early season usage, Yoho and Mis can step in to steady the ship. Because their arms are the definition of postseason caliber.  

[Jim French Stepstool]

13 minutes ago, Brewcrew82 said:

Honestly, I would call them both up and sooner rather than later. 

Yoho isn't being challenged at all in the minors. He's ready for the show and probably ready to dominate. Might as well start getting ready for life without Devin of which he will be a key part. 

As for Mis, they look committed at this point to pitching him out of the bullpen for the remainder of the season to limit his innings. He's mowed down AAA hitters his last two appearances and hasn't issued any free passes. If he keeps that up over the rest of the month, I think you absolutely have to give him the call. Yes, he doesn't have to be added to the 40 man until next offseason, but let's be honest: do you really think he won't already force himself onto the 40 man before then?

Bottom line is we're going to need arms who are capable of getting outs in the postseason. We're almost certainly not going to get as many out of our rotation as in past years, which means more are going to have to come from the bullpen. With Hudson, Koenig, etc. experiencing declining results as a consequence of heavy early season usage, Yoho and Mis can step in to steady the ship. Because their arms are the definition of postseason caliber.  

The bolded above. If he does any backsliding, which HAS happened, I think it would be wise to hold off until '25. A few more outings like his last couple & I'd roll the dice. Yoho is ready. They can monitor & schedule his workload in Nashville so I get what they're doing, but I think it's gotten to the point where it's just a question of when in 2024 we see him.

[wiguy94]

The Just Baseball guys on the call up podcast were raving about Yoho and Misiorowski as pen arms down the stretch. Jack in particular who saw them both pitch during the series against Indy this week. He's a part of Indy's radio call. Link the video right where they start talking about Yoho and Misiorowski.

 

[Jim French Stepstool]

1 hour ago, wiguy94 said:

The Just Baseball guys on the call up podcast were raving about Yoho and Misiorowski as pen arms down the stretch. Jack in particular who saw them both pitch during the series against Indy this week. He's a part of Indy's radio call. Link the video right where they start talking about Yoho and Misiorowski.

 

For Yoho to get the insane movement he gets on the changeup, yet throw it for strikes 71% of the time, that's incredible.

[wiguy94]

1 minute ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

For Yoho to get the insane movement he gets on the changeup, yet throw it for strikes 71% of the time, that's incredible.

I don't think that's an in zone rate of 71%. I think that's just an overall strike rate of 71% which includes a lot of chase but it's hard to know because he said landing it as a strike 71% of the time which I agree is easy to interpret as throwing it in the zone 71% of the time.

[Jim French Stepstool]

2 minutes ago, wiguy94 said:

I don't think that's an in zone rate of 71%. I think that's just an overall strike rate of 71% which includes a lot of chase but it's hard to know because he said landing it as a strike 71% of the time which I agree is easy to interpret as throwing it in the zone 71% of the time.

You're probably right. I mean, if you're working from ahead you don't WANT to throw the thing for a strike that often. He also mentioned the in-zone contact rate of 49%, which tells me when he gets too much of the plate w/the changeup, half the time they're unable to put the ball in play. So yeah, probably a semantics thing.

I haven't seen enough of Yoho to know if he does this, but looking at how the ball moves it kinda reminds me of old knuckleball pitchers, where you just aim for the dish & let the pitch do its' thing. The movement is THAT good.

[Bashopolis]

My bigger question is: Why is Misiorowski considered a potential starter and Yoho is considered a reliever.  
 

Yoho has better control.  A larger arsenal with three plus pitches.  A body  shape that would lead to better stamina.  And a delivery which isn’t as max effort every pitch.  
 

Sure Yoho has always been a relief pitcher all his career but why don’t they try him as a starter?  
 

[sveumrules]

2 minutes ago, Bashopolis said:

My bigger question is: Why is Misiorowski considered a potential starter and Yoho is considered a reliever.  
 

Yoho has better control.  A larger arsenal with three plus pitches.  A body  shape that would lead to better stamina.  And a delivery which isn’t as max effort every pitch.  
 

Sure Yoho has always been a relief pitcher all his career but why don’t they try him as a starter?  
 

Yoho has already had two TJs and is a recent convert to full time pitching.

With only 40 IP last year and 45 so far this year it would take him two or three years minimum to build up the innings needed to be a starter.

[wiguy94]

8 minutes ago, sveumrules said:

Yoho has already had two TJs and is a recent convert to full time pitching.

With only 40 IP last year and 45 so far this year it would take him two or three years minimum to build up the innings needed to be a starter.

Has he had 2 TJ's? I know he's had one for sure, but I've only ever seen it mentioned that he had a knee surgery and TJ. I can't recall ever reading he's' had TJ twice. Agree on your other points. Maybe down the line he might become a SP but as an almost 25 year old, it seems overkill to keep him in the minors to build up innings when he clearly can be getting guys out in the MLB.

[sveumrules]

17 minutes ago, wiguy94 said:

Has he had 2 TJ's?

Mentions two TJs in this article when he committed to Arkansas as a transfer before signing.

This one mentions two as well with a little more detail...Yoho had a pretty clean bill of health in high school. Then his first Tommy John surgery coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, making for a difficult rehabilitation. “Then I had poor ramp-ups for pitching while also (playing a position),” says Yoho.

[wiguy94]

6 minutes ago, sveumrules said:

Mentions two TJs in this article when he committed to Arkansas as a transfer before signing.

This one mentions two as well with a little more detail...Yoho had a pretty clean bill of health in high school. Then his first Tommy John surgery coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, making for a difficult rehabilitation. “Then I had poor ramp-ups for pitching while also (playing a position),” says Yoho.

Damn so 2 TJ and a knee surgery in a span of 2 years...that's crazy.